Looking for a science unit that will get your young students excited about learning? What about lessons that will keep them focused, engaged, and begging for more? You can’t go wrong with space. Kids are fascinated with space and love any opportunity to learn more about this far-off place. When teaching concepts like these, using a hands-on, interactive approach is important to help them grasp new ideas in a fun, memorable way. This space lapbook is one of my favorite ways to bring the magic of space to life. My students LOVE it, and I know yours will too. Let’s dive into these engaging space lapbook activities.
What is a Lapbook?
Lapbooks are a fantastic classroom tool! They are similar to an interactive notebook, except they focus on just one topic. For our young students, they are the perfect way to dive into a topic and keep all the learning in one place. And . . . students love the hands-on activities. By the end, they feel as if they’ve made their own book.
And if that isn’t enough, they are very simple to create. They are usually made in a file folder. These lapbooks go a level above traditional worksheets. It will enhance students’ learning experience and give them a higher understanding of whatever topic you are teaching. If you think this sounds great, then lapbooks are definitely for you!
Lapbooks are wonderful for themed studies. Let’s chat all about our space lapbook and why it is awesome for teaching young students about our solar system!
Getting Started on Your Space Lapbook
Lapbooks are not complicated projects. It just takes a little bit of preparation and a few materials. You most likely already have on hand everything you need to create the perfect space lapbook! Here are a few things you will need to get started.
- Manila file folders
- colored pencils or crayons
- glue
- scissors
- printouts for the lesson OR the space lapbook activity resource
That’s it! Super simple, and once you have everything together, you are ready to jump right in! If you want to know more about how to set up, create, and lay out the perfect flippy flap, check out this blog post for a more in-depth look. It is so simple and something you can do over and over again in your classroom!
In fact, with just three simple steps, you will be ready to get started. After you do a couple as a class, your students will be able to prep their own folders!
All About Space Lapbook
Students love learning about space and the solar system. I love using lapbooks to introduce this theme into my class. To get started, we always chat about what we already know about space. The stars, the moon, the sun, and our favorite planets are always mentioned by students. Then I let them know that we are going to be jumping into all things space and more. This gets students eager to learn more and focused on the task at hand. This space lapbook will act as a tool for the entire unit. Let’s check out some of the fun activities included!
All About Planets
You can’t have a space lesson without talking about planets! It is a fascinating concept that students love to learn about. First up, naming and ordering all of the planets. Students love this cut-and-paste activity where they color and then order the planets. And once completed, they love reviewing the planets again and again.
Next, students will learn about inner planets and outer planets. They will create a card for each planet and sort them into the correct category.
Another planet activity will have students writing facts about each planet to add to their lapbook. You will be amazed at all the interesting facts that students learn through this activity. Once finished, the students will create a flipbook with all of their planet facts.
I like to do this after we have spent a few days learning about the planets. This way, they have all the information they need right in their lapbook to complete their guided research activity.
The Moon and Sun
The moon and the sun are both important parts of our solar system and an important part of teaching about space. Chances are, students already know quite a bit about the sun and moon, so these activities are always extra fun for them!
First, we dive into important facts about the sun and moon. Then they will complete a Venn diagram to compare the sun and the moon. It’s a great way to teach comparing and contrasting skills in an engaging way.
One of my favorite things to teach about the moon is the different moon phases. Students are always excited to learn that there is a scientific reason why the moon changes its appearance. I like to start by asking if students have ever wondered why sometimes the moon is big, bright, and full but other times it is nothing more than a sliver in the sky.
This is a great way to introduce them to the phases our moon goes through. This is a hands-on, engaging activity that will have them cutting and pasting the correct moon size/shape to the correct spot on the phase chart. Always a favorite for students!
The Stars
You can’t complete a space unit without learning about stars. While the different types of stars is a topic for the upper elementary grades, your students will love learning that the stars can create pictures. Learning about constellations is always a class favorite.
The students will be introduced to some of the most famous constellations. We talk about how they are like a giant dot-to-dot activity in the sky. This space lapbook set includes two sets of constellation cards. One with just the stars, and one where the image is drawn around the constellation, helping students to see it a little easier. After learning about some constellations, students will create their own constellation and add it to their lapbook.
More Space Lapbook Activities
While those are three main topics that you’ll find in any space unit, there’s so much more fun space learning to be had. One of the favorite topics, year after year, is astronauts. What kid doesn’t want to visit space someday? They love learning about astronauts and what they do.
And you can’t miss out on the opportunity to do some space writing. With writing prompts like “If I met an alien I would. . .” and “If I were an astronaut I would. . . ” students will be excited to write. These activities get students’ creative juices flowing while working on important writing skills.
There are even some graphic organizers to inspire learning, too. The Astronauts Can, Have, Are section is always a student favorite! This guided activity is a perfect way to sneak in some summarizing practice, even with young learners.
Keep Learning with Digital Space Lapbook Activities
The fun doesn’t have to stop here, friends! In addition to the paper version of the space lapbook activities, I created a digital version too! Inside the Digital Space Lapbook activities, you will find a variety of slides with drag-and-drop features. This is perfect for those of you who are teaching online for virtual or at-home learning days, or just enjoy using some technology integration in your lessons. I love integrating the digital version into our lessons and then following up with the hands-on lapbook creation.
All of the same topics are covered as the paper version, but students will complete the activities digitally. The digital version can be assigned in Google Slides for each child, or you can project it on the SmartBoard for an interactive, whole-group lesson. This is actually my favorite way to use the digital version as it offers an engaging way to cover these topics with all my kiddos at once!
In addition to the drag-and-drop activities, there are educational learning videos included about space, too. Try playing one of the videos to start your lesson, and then complete a few of the slides as a whole group before working on the paper version of your lapbooks. Or, set students up on tablets or computers to complete the activities independently during technology centers. You can even use these activities to review after your lessons as well! The options are endless, and having the digital version will allow you to continue learning about space in an engaging way!
Grab Your Space Lapbook and Get Learning
Your students will love learning about space and creating their own space lapbook. You can find both the printable version and the digital version of these Space Activities on Teachers Pay Teachers. No matter which you choose, your students will love digging deeper into space by creating a space lapbook! Head over to my TPT store to grab everything you need for your space unit!
I hope these activities are helpful to you if you’re preparing to explore space with your students! I know that once you give lapbooks a try in your classroom, you’ll be hooked, too! Find more ready-to-use lapbook resources that are perfect for all your teaching needs. Here are just a few to get you started:
Save these Space Lapbook Activities
Make sure you pin these space lapbook ideas to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so you can quickly and easily find them when you are ready for your space unit.
